I'm a voracious consumer of information. I've found myself confiding in friends at times that I know a little about a lot of things, but not a lot about any one thing. That statement, of course, is my self-deprecating nature intervening.
I... Read more

As a member of the Human Race, undeniably a social species, it's hard to live from the inside out. The daily noise of living seeps in and negative messaging, masquerading as positive reinforcement, often infects my mind:
· It's all or noth... Read more

Most of the time, my conscious mind is in overdrive until the end of the day, when sleep mercifully takes over. Even then, my dreams are so intense that I occasionally awake feeling exhausted. Sometimes, I just wish for quiet. I have tried chant... Read more

It has been over a year since I regularly interacted on SparkPeople. It has been a period of trials, physical and emotional; a period of changes, regressive and growth oriented; a period of emotional complexity, shameful and satisfying. Most of ... Read more

I have a tedious tendency to replay events in my head to the tune of, "woulda', coulda', shoulda". Rather than accept the day as it happened and take a moment to reflect on areas where I could improve, I continuously replay events in my head, no... Read more

A big part of my life is about the choices I make: The choice to be honest with myself - or not; the choice to see the glass half full - or half empty; the choice of what goes on my dinner plate - or not on it; even the choice not to be upset wh... Read more

I view mistakes as opportunities to learn, because mistakes are life's expenses, and I don't like to run a deficit. Much of my life, I was a repeat offender, choosing bad relationships, maintaining self-destructive habits and generally doing the... Read more

I've yo-yo'd with the best of them since my weight began it's ascent in 2007, yet only recently have I emerged from the darkness of denial to grasp that my weight gain is largely due to emotional eating. My anxiety over not getting to eat someth... Read more

I've been taking extended-release morphine daily almost from the beginning of my disability. On more than one occasion, I've weened myself off of it, only to land in the hospital three months later. I've been reminded by my physicians that it's ... Read more

When I first engaged SparkPeople, I was overwhelmed by the array of tools I had at my disposal: Trackers; Blogs; Message Boards; Teams; SparkPoints; SparkMail; SparkRecipes; Reports; Planner; Journal...and others. Navigating the first week was a... Read more

It is my belief that there are no mistakes in life, for the seeds I sow in my mind yield the crops I harvest in my life. Put another way, Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right". It is in this simpl... Read more

Leading a healthy lifestyle includes taking responsibility for my life, which in turn, has armed me with choices that I didn't allow myself before. I can choose to inhale four servings of cheesecake or I can choose to savor one small slice. I c... Read more

Since adopting a healthier lifestyle, I am more aware of the kind of thoughts that threaten to sabotage this new life. Inevitably, those old thoughts are shallow, selfish and obsessive, ever ready to cannibalize my new, healthy way of thinking.
... Read more

My daily mantra for years was, "Oh Lord, please just let this day be routine". Despite my continued efforts at altering the course of life through sheer desire, it happened on it's own terms anyway. I didn't necessarily expect a different outcom... Read more

Of all the important things I've done in recent months, I'd have to put replacing hours of television and web surfing with quality time at the top; time to think about my goals and how I intend to reach them, time to appreciate the goals I've al... Read more